Mao Asada of Japan topped the free skate on Saturday in Saitama, Japan, to capture her third world title.

Asada, who held a 1.42-point lead after the short program, under-rotated three jumps but finished with 216.69 points. She was 9.19 points ahead of runner-up Julia Lipnitskaia, a 15-year-old Russian. Italy’s Carolina Kostner, the 2012 world champion, took the bronze medal with 203.83 points despite placing sixth in the free program.

Asada, who finished sixth at the Sochi Olympics last month in Russia, also won the world championships in 2008 and 2010.

“I was able to control myself, and I have done what I had to do,” said Asada, 23. “I was much more nervous than I was for the short program but the cheering from the fans was with me and made me relax.”

Yuna Kim, the defending champion, has retired, and Olympic gold medalist Adelina Sotnikova of Russia didn’t compete at the worlds.

Kostner fell on the triple toe loop and singled a pair of double jumps.

“I wish I could skate again and do better,” Kostner said. “It was really hard. The jumps did not work how I wished, but this is the sport, right?”

Lipnitskaia’s major mistake was falling on a triple salchow but she completed six other triple jumps.

“It is a shame that I missed the salchow,” she said. “I didn’t do it correctly, therefore I fell. In practice, I struggled with it as well — and for the next season, we need to fix it.”

American Gracie Gold was fifth.

European champions Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy captured the ice-dance title.

Tennis

Williams triumphs

The celebration began with a series of happy hops that propelled American Serena Williams across the court. Soon she was twirling, waving, laughing and mugging for the cameras — a familiar ritual.

Williams won a record seventh Key Biscayne, Fla., title when she overcame a slow start and a set point to beat Li Na of China 7-5, 6-1 in the Sony Open final. She surpassed the tournament record of six titles she shared with Andre Agassi.

“I was actually super excited at the end,” Williams said, “because I remember sitting here last year trying to get to six, thinking, ‘OK, obviously I want seven, but I don’t want to put the pressure on myself to get to seven.’ Obviously, I wanted to have the most titles here.”